A line of Jil Sander fans had formed Tuesday morning outside the label’s showroom on Crosby Street… waiting for the sample sale to start. At first, we thought the line was manageable but we, while only a few feet away from the door, found ourselves waiting an hour after the opening to get upstairs. Sale organizers were only letting in a handful of shoppers at a time. Finally, around 11am, the line started to move a bit but it was still slow going.
The security guard at the door was checking invitations at first but after a couple of hours, he was letting people in without looking for invites.
Once inside, I found lots of merchandise (spring/summer 2011 and overstock fall pieces, plus the label’s new women’s line, Navy). Most of the offerings are for women. Although, they did have some men’s suits, shirts, pants and shoes. And yes, some bags.
Now onto ladies… Surprisingly, there were plenty of handbags (80% off the ticketed retail price, ranging from $150 to $800, with most averaging around $300). The nicer pricier ones were neatly displayed on shelves… others from the label’s diffusion line were in the middle of the room. There were staffers helping customers as they looked at the handbags. Ready-to-wear for both men & women (mostly hanging on racks along the wall) were 85% off… as were the footwear (brogues, flats, heels around $100; riding boots at $150), which were in boxes as you walked into the spacious room. Sweaters, knits and jeans were folded on tables in the middle of the space.
Sale ends this Saturday… But I wonder how much they’ll have left. Just two hours into the sale… handbags and footwear were already picked over. As I left this afternoon, there was a short line outside of shoppers eagerly waiting to get in.
Where/When: Jil Sander showroom, 8 Crosby St., 4th Fl., (north of Howard). Oct 18-22, Daily (10-6p).
Word is…